WINDPOWER Program Chair on 2014 agenda

In the March issue of Wind Systems Magazine, Kevin Alewine, Director of Marketing, Shermco Industries discusses his role as Program Co-Chair, along with Jayshree Desai, Clean Line Partners, for the upcoming AWEA WINDPOWER 2014 Conference & Exhibition, May 5-8, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In addition to his position at Shermco Industries, Kevin serves in a working group within the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and chairs the AWEA Operations and Maintenance Working Group. During the interview, he touches on the goals of the program, the technical and scientific offerings, expectations, and the venue itself; here’s an excerpt:

Take us through your process in developing the conference program for WINDPOWER 2014. What were your initial thoughts and concerns?

There are two program chairs for the event; in this case Jayshree Desai from Clean Line Partners is the other chair focusing on the financial side of the industry. Together with the AWEA staff we put together a panel of session chairs who can really focus the program and keep the sessions both engaging and informative. I believe we were able to put together a real dream team this year and I am very excited about both the quality and variety of the program. Our goal was to create a program where every session had valuable insight and key takeaways that attendees will be able to build on and improve their business or work, and in turn make this industry grow and prosper.

Were there any topics that stood out in your minds as essential for inclusion in the program?

This year, we are expanding the emphasis on operations and maintenance from several viewpoints as growing the profitability of existing sites is critical in today’s power market. There will still be a lot of exciting information on site development, new technologies and, of course, tax and finance issues.

What are your thoughts about Las Vegas and Mandalay Bay as host city and venue for the event?

The Mandalay is a great hotel and conference center and the state, city and conference center also have a strong commitment to renewable energy development in that area. Over 150 MWs came online recently in Nevada and their renewable portfolio standard requires 25% of their power from renewable sources by 2025.